The eight papers summarized in this collection were drawn from a 1983 conference symposium designed to expand and disseminate increased understanding about reading and its instruction. The selected papers, each of which includes an abstract, discuss the following topics: (1) the determination of Florida's kindergarten reading curricula, (2)…

Intended for those who want to understand the nature of listening in the communication process and for students who wish to understand and improve their own behaviors as listeners, this book draws upon theory and research in the field of listening as well as from a variety of other disciplines. The 10 chapters of the book discuss the following…

Included in this booklet is an account of children's concepts of death at various ages. Specifically, the discussion examines the "average" or "normal" reaction of children from birth through 2 years; 3 through 5 years; 5 through 8 years; 9 through 10 years; and at 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 years. Children's reactions to the death of a pet and…

Directed reading activities found in commercially produced instructional materials usually contain information that is aimed at helping children understand the story as well as helping them to develop other skills. To test the effectiveness of both establishing background knowledge and directing children toward central story content, two…

The technical reports summarized in this paper were prepared as part of a project designed to determine what is known about the teaching of cognitive skills and to formulate questions relating to such teaching for further research. Topics discussed in the 22 reports include the following: (1) teaching thinking; (2) Aristotle's logic; (3) a…

The development and evaluation of Informed Strategies for Learning (ISL), an experimental curriculum to enhance children's reading comprehension, are described in this report. The report opens with a summary of the project, in which 20 modules--each focusing on a different strategy--were designed and 60 lesson plans were developed. This section…

Having implemented a testing procedure using the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests to identify recruits with reading deficiencies, the United States Navy conducted a study comparing the performance of recruits on three different reading tests. A total of 716 recruits completed the comprehension portion of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, the Tests…

This experiment was designed to better understand the effects of individual differences, intent to learn, and stimulus familiarity on frequency judgment accuracy. Half of the participants in the study heard popular songs, and the other half listened to unfamiliar songs. Participants were subdivided into three more groups, introducing the "intent…

The difficulty of computer programming and other design tasks is a function of the multiple abstractions that combine to form a program's meaning. Thus, comprehension of the final form of a program design, the program text, involves retrieving multiple sets of relationships between parts. The research presented here addresses which, if any,…

The articles included in this publication, while dealing with several aspects of reading, all share a common concern for the better understanding and improved teaching of reading. Articles include the following titles: "Reading in the Secondary School--Taught or Caught?""Developing Reading Skills in the Post-infant Years,""A Remedial Programme…

One of six related documents, this publication contains a U.S. Air Force course on communication skills. The course presented is one of three in a program based on the following educational goals for each student: (1) comprehend the principles of effective communication; (2) know some of the factors that enter into international relations,…

Children 10 to 12 years of age in a class for the emotionally disturbed were spellbound while listening to a 1-hour tape of an old radio show "The Shadow" and later indicated comprehension through their answers to questions. (MC)

This study investigates the effects of meaningful-learning postquestions on recall of relevant and incidental information by two groups of fifth graders, good and poor comprehenders. The two groups had 48 fifth graders each, selected from 228 students who took the New Developmental Reading Test and the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test. Subjects…

The major purpose of this research was to show how specific theoretical principles and criteria could be integrated and supported by empirical data to provide a rationale for more systematic introduction of vocabulary in middle-grade reading-instruction material. Research was limited to the teaching of prefixes and the use of prefixed words. A…

Ideas and suggestions relating to the teaching of reading comprehension are presented in this publication. The first chapter discusses the comprehension process and current issues and trends in comprehension research. The second chapter presents data from a statewide assessment program in Florida, in order to indicate strengths and weaknesses in…